


Empty Memories

by Athenaash



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Gen, Ghost TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ghost Wilbur Soot, Ghosts, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, President Toby Smith | Tubbo, Sad TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Swearing, Temporary Character Death, They/Them Pronouns for Toby Smith | Tubbo, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28073211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athenaash/pseuds/Athenaash
Summary: He wasn’t surprised when he woke up, and air didn’t fill his lungs; he was dead after all.OR: GhostInnit isn't having a good time.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & TommyInnit, No Romantic Relationship(s), Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 32
Kudos: 532





	1. The Ghost

**Author's Note:**

> CW for this chapter: death, ghosts, a panic attack, and implied suicide!
> 
> I saw someone draw GhostInnit on Instagram and RAN with it bb! He doesn't have any good memories of his life btw, kinda like how Ghostbur only has the good ones!

He wasn’t surprised when he woke up, and air didn’t fill his lungs; he was dead after all. Frown etched onto his face, The Ghost stood up, feet drifting off the ground before they touched down. Where was he? A tent. The Ghost was in a tent, and he  _ really _ didn’t like it. 

He didn’t like the area surrounding the tent either, it was too… empty? Large? The Ghost couldn’t find the right words. A smile made it’s way onto his face when he saw walls, tall things, made out of naked wood. The hope that swelled in his chest when he saw the structure extinguished when it turned out to be abandoned, dust covering in a thick carpet over all the surfaces he could see. 

The picture on the wall made his heart seize, memories of  _ someone _ flashing through his head. First… a man with goat horns, drunk off his ass and  _ angry _ , a maniacal smile, and explosions he couldn’t quite place, and a disappointed face, paired with a feeling of overwhelming guilt that nearly made The Ghost kneel over. Then… splinters in his hand? He looked down, and the splinters fell through, a black mist flowing out of the ‘wounds’ on his knuckles. 

The Ghost left the structure. Every time his feet left the ground, he had to try his hardest not to float up and away… is this how Ghostbur felt? He didn’t know who Ghostbur was; the name unfamiliar on his tongue as he muttered it out over and over again, getting louder and louder as he went on. 

* * *

Three days past of sea travel before The Ghost came to the ravine. The dark, dingy cave, covered in buttons and almost-there memories of things he’d rather forget completely. He caught a glimpse of himself in a pool of groundwater. He really was an ugly thing; black stains made their way down his cheeks, like tear tracks that never seemed to leave. The Ghost’s skin an unseemly pale blue color. A scowl didn’t look out of place on The Ghost’s face when it finally settled. 

Bright red strings tied around his body, like the strings on a puppet  ~~_ he tried to ignore the smiling mask that popped up in his mind _ ~~ _.  _ The Ghost touched his face, and smiled when they were bright blue and glowing. 

The Ghost wasn’t really surprised when his form started flickering. When the haunting giggling that he couldn’t get out of his head returned as he walked through the cave, expecting the walls to cave in. The stone entrapping the teen seemed to taunt him,  _ ‘ ~~let's be the bad guys, Tommy~~ _ ’. Tommy… was that his name? It didn’t feel right, he’ll stick with The Ghost; ghosts didn’t deserve names.  _ He  _ didn’t deserve a name. 

He didn’t notice when the memories words in his head turned into a figure. Towering over him, with a long coat, and hair that fell into his eyes, The Figure taunted him. Threatened to hurt him with a sickly sweet voice and harsh hands that gripped his wrists, yanking him this way and that. His words slid over The Ghost’s head but he knew they were _wrong_ and The Figure was _dangerous_.

* * *

The next time he looked up, the sun was tall in the sky, beaming over the terrain he could see. The Ghost thought it was a little too cheery for the occasion, rainy weather would suit his mood more, and hey, last time he touched water his entire body nearly melted, so he wouldn’t be opposed to ending up dead either. 

He adjusted the backpack he got from the cave,  ~~_ hidden behind rocks under a path, how did he know it was there? _ ~~ , filed to the brim with things he’s found on his walk. The Ghost chuckled at that; it wasn’t a walk, more like an obligatory endless search for  _ something _ other than his memories to keep him company. Not that his ‘memories’ were anything more than almost-there flashes that he could never get a glimpse of, no matter how hard he chased.

The Ghost almost didn’t notice when he passed through a man, except for the quiet ‘ _ Tommy? _ ’ that whispered out of the man. 

“The Ghost is what I’ve been calling myself.” If he was still alive, his voice would be rough from disuse; and if he cared, The Ghost would be worried about how empty his voice sounded. “Tommy feels…  _ wrong _ .” He pauses, “I should know you,”

The man adjusted his beanie, “ _Fuck_ , how did you die?” ~~_a w _it_ her; stone piercing his stomach; the only choice being to jump; burning alive_~~, The Ghost shrugged, “Er- I’m Quackity, y-you really don’t remember me?” a nod, “Shit, ok, we can do introductions later; follow me. I don’t know what Dream would do if- if he found out you were here,”

The Ghost was lead by the man - Quackity - through a place that only brought up fear ~~_an explosion_~~ and guilt ~~_he fucked up he fucked up he fucked up he fucked-_~~. When they got to a sewer, the pressure on his chest lightened significantly, and a smiling face _of his brother_ popped through the doorway, pale just like him. ~~_He couldn’t remember a time when he saw his brother smiling._~~

“Tommy?” His shoulders jumped up at the name, and the other ghost  _ Wilbur _ smiled, “Oh! GhostInnit, right? Come on in! You too Quackity! I’ll go get some blue for the both of you!” 

The Ghost didn’t understand why he was scared of this ghost, why his hands shook and his ears rang with the memories of a- he was cut off by dye getting shoved into his hand. “Don’t look too hard at your memories,” A soft look passed over Ghostbur’s face, “You’re a ghost now, you’ll get lost in them,” 

“Why’s getting lost in ‘em bad?” Tommy scoffs, “Not like I have much else to do, the first people I see in a week are trying to hide me, and the other is  _ dead _ ,” He shuts his eyes as tight as they can go, “And I can’t remember  _ anything _ other than flashes and- and stupid  _ feelings _ ,” he gripped his hair in his fingers and it didn’t  _ hurt _ , and he couldn’t  _ feel _ .

The Ghost jumps when a hand laid on his shoulder, but he leans into it, “GhostInnit, you’re here right now, you’re  _ not _ Tommy. Please make a circle with your hands for me,” The Ghost does, “Open that circle, slowly… and close it, alright?” 

“What’s wrong with him?” Quackity broke in, “Is it a ghost thing? Because he needs to get over it; I don’t know if Dream got notified yet,”

Ghostbur just sighs, and takes his hand away from The Ghost’s shoulder, making his chest ache with the loss “That was a panic attack!” He paused, “They’re normal for ghosts, because of…  _ how _ we form,” 

Quackity started saying something before The Ghost cut him off, scowling, “I didn’t travel for a week,  _ alone _ , to be ignored like this. I am  _ not _ Tommy, whoever he is,” his jaw clenches as Ghostbur looks at him with a pitying look, “And I don’t need to listen to this; I’m looking for- for  _ something _ and I’m gonna find it,”

“And-and I’m not gonna  _ leave _ just because some guy says I should, ok? I- I  _ have _ to be here,” The Ghost did. He couldn’t…  _ explain _ it, but- he  _ had _ to be here. And they both knew it, if going by the looks on their faces were anything to go by. 

Quackity just sighed, “Look, I’ll talk to Tubbo,”  _~~his guilt surged up to his throat and Tommy tried his hardest to choke it down,~~ he was _ sorry “He’ll wanna know what’s going on, and we’ll find a way to keep Dream out of the loop,”

Ghostbur’s annoyingly positive attitude finally reared its head when he started beaming, “I’m sure it’ll work out! I was let back and I did some…  _ bad _ things, AliveInnit didn’t really do anything wrong,” The Ghost doubted that with every inch of his body. 


	2. The President

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CWs: tubbo pushing everyone away, depression, talked about character death

Tubbo’s shoulders slumped with months with the exhaustion of non-stop work, and a long breath of air slid out of them while they ran their hands through their hair. Ever since Tommy- er...  _ GhostInnit _ came back, the teen wasn’t able to relax. They had to work through a new treaty with Dream, no matter how slimy Tubbo thought the man was.

When a knock sounded on Tubbo’s office door, their shoulders jumped up to their ears in a flinch that made them drop their quill. “C-come in! It’s unlocked,” They shouted out, before getting on their hands and knees, trying to look for their quill.

When they didn’t hear the door open, or footsteps, Tubbo’s heart squeezed- they  _ couldn’t _ see the ghost of their friend knowing they were the one who caused his death- Ghostbur’s voice put a gentle stop to their thoughts, “GhostInnit keeps lurking around your office you know?” they nod, and he raises his eyebrows “You need to talk with him,” 

Tubbo sits back on their chair, “It’d be…  _ helpful _ if you only came to me during work hours with work-related situations,” He looked back down and continued writing, and didn’t see when Ghostbur floated through his walls again, scowl on his face. 

* * *

A few days passed until Tubbo finally saw the husk of the person they once called their best friend. Their eyes were immediately brought to the red strings tied around their wrists, they couldn’t help but think about the strings on a puppet. They clenched their fists, and stared at The Ghost like a deer in the headlights. 

The Ghost didn't notice Tubbo. Just left them standing stock still, staring at their old friend fidget in obvious discomfort, on the outskirts of a conversation he didn't seem to be particularly invested in. Tubbo shook themself out of their thoughts, and left the way they came. 

* * *

Quackity was the next person to corner them about The Ghost. “Tommy thinks you hate him,” Tubbo didn’t know what else to do outside of laying their head on their desk, and sighing as loud as they could. “I get it, it threw me off too, but  _ Talk. To. Him. _ ” 

Tubbo buried their head in their arms, voice muffled, “I can’t, you know that.” Quackity just scoffed, “He blames me- he  _ should _ blame me. And if he thinks I hate him, maybe he’ll start hating me too, god knows I deserve it,” they wipe away the tears gathering on the corners of their eyes, trying to ignore the look Quackity has on his face, something akin to pity and annoyance.

Tubbo straightened out their back and made their voice as firm as possible when they next spoke, “Please don’t come back unless it’s a work-related question or concern,”

“Whatever, I’m not your dad, just giving you my suggestion,  _ president _ ,” Quackity slammed down a paper, “I need to get your approval to move in a citizen,  _ sir _ ,” The bitterness in his voice didn’t make Tubbo as upset as it should’ve, and as soon as they signed the paper, Quackity didn’t hesitate to walk out the door, slamming it behind him.

… leaving Tubbo alone with their thoughts. 

* * *

Tubbo knew it wouldn’t take long for The Ghost and them to finally cross paths. They just  _ really _ wished The Ghost’s eyes didn’t fill up with fear, and tears, when they finally locked eyes. Their voice got caught in their throat, and all they could get out was a small, “Hey, Tom- uh Ghost,” When The Ghost started  _ crying _ Tubbo didn’t know what to, “Hey! Hey, hey, it’s ok, I uh- I can leave? I know you hate me and all and I don’t want you to-” 

The Ghost didn’t know what to do. So he just pulled his best friend into a hug as tight as he could. Which wasn’t that tight, given that he was nearly incorporeal. All Tubbo could say was “I’m sorry, I’m  _ so sorry _ ,” as they tried to talk through the sobs that suddenly wracked their body, hands gripping the thin material of The Ghost’s shirt.

“It’s-... It’s ok,” The Ghost patted Tubbo’s back hesitantly, hands shaking.

Tubbo pulled back, and wiped at their eyes, “Sorry you- you probably don’t know me, so I’m just a weird kid crying on you,”   


The Ghost hums, “I know your name is Tubbo, and I remember fighting for you, I remember you sent me away, and I remember you hating me,” He pauses, “But I know Tommy wouldn’t fight for someone he didn’t love, I don’t remember much of love,” 

Tubbo winces, that’s about what they were expecting, honestly. “I- I  _ never _ hated you, I need you to know that, you’re- you  _ were _ my brother, and I know you won’t believe me,” They clenched their fists, tears threatening to spill over again, “I shouldn’t have exiled you, and I should’ve made it clearer I still loved you,” 

The ghost doesn’t respond for a moment, only leans his head on his friend’s shoulder, “I’m not Tommy,” 

“I know-” The Ghost cut him off.

“Let me finish; I’m not Tommy, and I never will be. That means Tommy is dead, forever, you need to greive him,” He pauses, “I’m new, I have his memories, but I’m the furthest thing from him. I think that means we’re allowed to make a new relationship together,”

“I don’t want Tommy to be gone,” Tubbo lets out a huff of breath, “But I guess I can settle with you,” they joked, and bit their lip when the air went sour, “That was a joke, I care about you, even if you’re not Tommy, you’re still a citizen,” 

The Ghost shrugs, “I guess,” they lolled into a quiet silence, for a few moments, before The Ghost broke it, "I don't like staying out after dark," promptly disappearing.

"At least he's still as aloof as Tommy," Tubbo said to no one in particular, huffing out a short laugh. They needed to get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BIG POG I FINISHED THIS MF!!!! I still have so many ideas for ghostinnit tho and I'm--
> 
> Please remember to: take your meds, drink some water, grab a snack, untense your jaw and shoulders, and take a break!!! Ily all <3<3<3<3<3<3

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 2 should be out soon! It'll be from the POV of Tubbo (probably) and I'm vv excited about it!! *happy flaps*


End file.
